Method for distributing position information

• US 20030182275A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Internet Number Corporation
• Original Assignee: Internet Number Corporation
• Inventors: Nakajima, Hideyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/363,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182275A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

There is provided a method for distributing position information in which a user can acquire position information shared over the Internet without taking account of the environment or the terminal, the position information can arbitrarily reflect the latest information, and a utilizer can set arbitrary position information at any time. A system for distributing position information comprises a database management server (1), a position information database (2), a map information database (3), a utilizer terminal (4), a user terminal (5), and the like which are configured over the Internet. The utilizer acquires a utilization number by accessing the database management server (1) through the utilizer terminal (4), sets position information corresponding to the utilization number in the position information database (2), and transmits the utilization number to the user. The user can acquire the position information from the position information database (2) by accessing the database management server (1) through the user terminal (5) and searching the position information database (2) using the utilization number.

Claims

1. A method for distributing position information, using the Internet on which a database is provided and enabling to distribute the position information by sharing the database, comprising:

a step where a utilizer acquires a utilization number for searching the database and sets position information corresponding to the utilization number in the database;

a step where the utilizer transmits the utilization number to a user; and

a step where the user searches the database using the utilization number, and acquires the position information set by the utilizer from the database.

2. A method for distributing position information according to claim 1, wherein, when the utilizer sets the position information corresponding to the utilization number in the database, arbitrary position information can be updated and set for the same utilization number at any time.

3. A method for distributing position information according to claim 1, wherein, when the utilizer transmits the utilization number to the user, the utilizer transmits the same utilization number to a plurality of users so that the plurality of users can acquire the position information set by the utilizer.

4. A method for distributing position information according to claim 1, wherein, when the user searches the database using the utilization number, the environment of a terminal of the user is added to the utilization number as attribute information, and the user searches information corresponding to the attribute information from the database.

5. A method for distributing position information according to claim 4, wherein, when the user searches the information corresponding to the attribute information from the database, the user can select whether to acquire only the position information or both the position information and map information.

6. A method for distributing position information according to claim 1, wherein the utilization number is a mobile phone number, a telephone number, a postcode, or a specific number.

7. A method for distributing position information according to claim 1, wherein the position information is the latitude and longitude information.